Author: KMAN Staff
Release from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Warning continues for Lake Shawnee, watch issued for Council Grove City Lake TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), has issued public health advisories for Kansas lakes. A warning remains in effect for Lake Shawnee in Shawnee County. A watch was issued today for Council Grove City Lake in Morris County. When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken: Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock. Lake water,…
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) joined us Thursday morning to discuss the federal response to COVID-19. T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter Director Deb Watkins joined us for an update on shelter hours and numbers for the month of April. Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism warden Ben Jedlicka updated us on fishing at Tuttle Creek and Milford Lakes as well as spring turkey hunting season.
Though not officially released, a leaked draft document of Riley County’s plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions indicates the county could see most activities return to normal by the end of June. Riley County health and safety officials said in their Wednesday coronavirus press conference that they were awaiting the governor’s announcement of her re-opening plan Thursday to ensure the two do not conflict, but an anonymous source provided an unofficial synopsis of the local plan to the Manhattan Mercury. Riley County is currently in phase one of a five phase plan, operating under stay-at-home orders and only permitting essential businesses…
Riley County will still hold in-person polling this election season, but officials encourage residents to vote by mail in anticipation of congestion. Riley County Clerk Rich Vargo says he has no authority to run the 2020 primary and general elections entirely by mail amid public gathering concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that the State of Kansas has not made any exceptions to the laws requiring them to open polling places. Even so, Vargo says the county will be “proactive” in sending out personalized vote by mail applications to all registered voters to encourage them to participate in the…
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The University of Kansas has announced that 40 of its top-paid employees, including its chancellor, will take temporary 10% pay cuts to help cushion the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Wichita station KAKE reports that KU Chancellor Douglas Girod announced the cuts in a letter this week. The letter says he, the chancellor’s cabinet, vice provosts, deans and department heads will take the salary reduction for six months. Girod says the cuts will generate $853,000 in savings for the university and that the money will be redeployed for urgent needs. Also taking the 10% pay cut…
TOPEKA, Kan. — Police in Topeka are investigating the overnight shooting death of man near the city’s Freedom Valley Park. Police say in a news release that officers were called to the area around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday for a 911 call reporting gunshots. Arriving officers found a person suffering from critical injuries who died at the scene. On Wednesday morning, police identified the victim as 37-year-old Mark Edwards, of Topeka. No arrests had been reported by Wednesday morning, and police were asking the public for any information on the fatal shooting.
WICHITA, Kan. — Longtime Wichita radio host and Wichita State University basketball announcer Don Hall has died in a crash at a busy Wichita intersection. Hall’s employer, Entercom Communications, shared the news of his death Wednesday with employees in an email. The 70-year-old Hall was a morning show co-host at KEYN Radio in Wichita, and according to the station, had worked for more than 45 years in radio in Kansas. Police say the crash happened around 4:30 a.m., when a driver ran a red light and hit Hall’s vehicle. Hall died at the scene, and police arrested 42-year-old Ray Watkins…